Campus Activewear Q1: PAT +18% YoY to ₹26 Cr, margin misses 17-19% guided band at 14.2%

Campus Activewear's standalone Q1 FY27 revenue from operations rose 12.2% YoY to ₹385.20 Cr (Q1 FY26: ₹343.27 Cr), with PAT up 17.8% YoY to ₹26.14 Cr (₹22.20 Cr) and basic EPS at ₹0.86 versus ₹0.73. Sequentially both metrics fell sharply — revenue down 15.5% and PAT down 40.8% — from a seasonally strong Q4 FY26 (₹455.63 Cr revenue, ₹44.14 Cr PAT); this QoQ drop mirrors the same pattern seen a year ago (Q4 FY26 OPM of 18.1% versus Q1 FY26's 14.35%), so it reads as a recurring seasonal step-down rather than a fresh deterioration. The margin story is the one that cuts against the guidance the company gave on the May 2026 call. Operating margin (PBT less other income, plus finance cost and depreciation, over revenue) came in at 14.19% of revenue — essentially flat YoY (14.35%) but well short of management's stated 17-19% EBITDA margin band for FY27, and down nearly 400bps from Q4's 18.1%. The shortfall isn't from raw materials: the combined cost of materials, purchases and inventory build was 45.0% of revenue, flat to slightly better than 45.4% a year ago. It's other expenses (31.2% of revenue vs 30.9% YoY) and employee costs (9.6% vs 9.4% YoY) that crept up, while Q4's stronger revenue base gave it better operating leverage on the same cost lines. Net profit margin actually expanded slightly to 6.79% from 6.35% YoY, since finance costs and depreciation grew more slowly than revenue. No specific Q1 FY27 consensus PAT figure could be confirmed via web search; the only available reference is a broader FY27 target-price note implying 15-20% full-year PAT growth, against which this quarter's 17.8% YoY PAT print is broadly in line, though not confirmable as a beat or miss against a quarter-specific number. Management's own May 2026 guidance — confidence in demand, calibrated price hikes to protect margins, and no further material RM inflation with H2 benefit — is only partly borne out: revenue growth and stable material costs align with that framing, but the quarter's EBITDA margin missed the guided band, meaning the promised margin protection has not yet shown up and now rests on an H2 recovery. Corporate activity this quarter was largely administrative and not numbers-linked: the board approved these results the same day (6 August), the FY26 annual report was dispatched and BRSR filed, and the 18th AGM is set for 20 August (book closure 13-20 August) to approve the ₹1.50/share final FY26 dividend recommended in May, with record date fixed at 31 July 2026. Going forward, the quarter sets up a test of whether the 17-19% EBITDA margin band is achievable for FY27 given a 14.19% start, and whether the capacity expansion at Pant Nagar and Paonta Sahib (guided to double output by FY27-end) and continued store additions translate into the operating leverage needed to close that gap in H2.